Speaking afterwards, Rockström added: “Events like this enable information sharing and collaboration across industries and sectors, and give us encouraging evidence to suggest that a social tipping point for society to take action is already under way. This will be the most important factor to drive impactful change.” A policy roundtable was held on the afternoon of the lecture at the offices of Pinsent Masons in Edinburgh. It brought together 24 key players from policy, business, academia and science in Scotland into a closed door, invitation-only event. Co-chaired by Professor Sir Ian Boyd and Professor Mat Williams, who both sit on First Minister’s Environment Council, the purpose of the event was to learn and share lessons from the work on planetary boundaries so that Scotland can be at the forefront of tackling the climate emergency and ecological decline. Professor Rockstrom attended this event to provide overview and context and a note of the meeting was circulated to all attendees under Chatham House rules. “The insights provided by Johan communicated the sense of urgency that is required to spearhead actionable change by society,” said Professor Colin Campbell. “We need to consider our consumption, the way we use our resources and also the way we communicate the tipping point the world faces if we do not change our ways. Johan did suggest that it is not all doom and gloom. He suggested that a better world is entirely possible, but we need to acknowledge that it’s not incremental changes we need. Instead, big transformational change is essential. We know that Scotland has the skills and ambition to play a significant role in leading the actions to achieve transformation in its land use.” Watch the 44th TB Macaulay lecture: December 2023 9 “Hosting Professor Rockström has been a privilege. The work that he is doing addresses important global issues and has a significant impact on what the Macaulay Development Trust hopes to achieve in Scotland. Our continued focus is to fund excellent science and facilitate the exchange of research findings for accelerated impacts, supporting communities and improving social equity in our region.” Fran van Dijk, Chair of the Macaulay Development Trust
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